Thank you again to those who read and review as should be.
x x x x x x xx x x x x x xx x x x x x x
The first day he could slip into the water was like heaven. The ocean closed around him like a blanket, caressing his skin, his senses, his soul. He didn't immediately Shift into his shark form, though the temptation was almost overpowering. Instead Erik used the temporarily calm surface of the Atlantic to stroke his way away from the beach, the sensation of the cool water – deadly and freezing for others – balm on his soul.
Finally he did Shift as he dove away from the surface. His senses sharpened, his body became perfectly adapted to his environment, and the hunger for a hunt crawled through his mind.
Glad that Charles hadn't decided to join him the Shark scanned his surroundings, looking for prey. He would never classify his adorable rat as such, but Charles didn't have to be here while he quenched this thirst.
x x x x x x x
Charles was bundled up in a thick jacket, a woolen hat, two scarves that almost hid his face, and water-proof fishing pants. His boots were sturdy and warm. Leaning against a boulder he let his mind ride with his Shark for a while, feeling the contentment and happiness radiating like a beacon. A smile crossed his features and even the biting wind didn't deter him from staying.
Ororo walked over to him, smiling warmly. "He is feeling well?"
"Perfect, Ororo. Thank you so much."
"It was my pleasure, Charles. We know how much this took out of him and we know how civil he was compared to what could have been. Taking the ocean from a waterbound is cruel and I wanted to help. He took his time asking me."
"Erik isn't used to gifts, Ororo."
"I realize that now. Will you be okay here?"
The weather, no longer tamed by the weather witch, had picked up again and the wind was biting.
"I will be for a little longer. Don't worry."
Ororo nodded, then used the winds and her control of them to float herself up the cliffs. She was an elegant, beautiful sight to behold. Charles appreciated how far she had come, how much she had grown.
A surge of triumph let him turn his attention back to Erik. The Shark had finally struck prey and while Charles wasn't a predator and couldn't say he understood the hunger, he understood Erik; his mate. With the hunger stilled the shark mind quieted down and Charles let himself drift along as the beautiful Shifter his lover was explored his kingdom.
::Summer:: he promised Erik.
In summer he would come along again. He would dive, he would swim, without fear or trepidation. He would let his beautiful shark pull him through a world that wasn't his but felt like his own nevertheless. He wasn't a water rat, but he could swim and he did enjoy the time with Erik. Being a backseat rider had its advantages.
x x x x x x x
Erik stayed in the ocean for two days. Charles didn't mind. He had walked back into the manor by nightfall, frozen stiff in places and thawing himself slowly in front of the fire place with a spiked tea – more spike than tea, actually – and then crawling into his toasty warm bed.
By morning he felt wonderful.
Calm. Relaxed. Totally at peace with himself. He knew it came from somewhere else entirely and that his mind had latched onto the Shark and been with him all night.
Asleep.
He smiled as he made his way over to the bathroom, took a shower and shaved. Erik was a very centered, heavy presence in his mind, balanced and powerful and strong. A far cry from the caged animal who had sought an outlet and wanted to fight the human holding it prisoner.
Charles knew there was no training Erik's instincts to completely accept the forced time away from the ocean. Erik had never been away from his element in all his life, unless Shaw had punished him. It was probably the trigger for his reluctance to go inland at all. He had always been at the coast. Charles would never force his lover to abandon his safety net, just like Erik respected his own very solid apprehension of taking on the ocean when it was rough.
He was a landbound rat; too much open water scared his instinctual side.
So he let Erik carry him along through the wonderful world of the deep ocean, the quiet wonder of something Charles would never be able to experience like a shark did.
It was beautiful.
x x x x x x x
The mood at the mansion had lightened as well and Logan just waggled his eyebrows when Charles came down for breakfast. The telepath rolled his eyes and steadfastedly ignored the other mutant in favor of reading the paper.
"Don't get lost, Prof," Logan only said when he left the kitchen.
How the other man knew Charles had dropped some shields and was with his lover was anyone's guess. Probably instinct. And he wasn't likely to get lost. Erik, while running on his Shifter instincts right now, was a known presence and Charles had handled the Shark's powerful presence, his dominant mind, often before. He wasn't a lightweight either. He was a telepath and Erik had no psychic powers.
Finishing breakfast, Charles called up his schedule for the day.
He had work to do.
x x x x x x x
Charles caught up to a lot of work, and he and Hank talked about an actual tank in one of the basement level rooms that were currently empty. Hank agreed that it would probably ease Erik's need and ease his dark moods in winter. He would get on the planning ASAP.
For a second or two the Shifter contemplated actually adding a treasure chest with bubbles, then scrapped the idea. Erik would kill him.
x x x x x x xx x x x x x xx x x x x x xx x x x x x xx x x x x x xx x x x x x xx x x x x x xx x x x x x xx x x x x x x
Gentle fingers brushing over his temple woke Charles. No alarm, no fight-or-flight reaction, no confusion. He knew the touch, knew the mind at the other end of the anchor, and when he looked into the peaceful gray eyes, he also knew that things had finally rightened themselves.
Erik smiled that indulgent smile that told Charles he had fallen asleep at his desk. Well, from the semi-prone position it was the couch, but the tethering stack of papers and the spread of books and magazines told the same story: work.
And it was the middle of the night.
Charles yawned and Erik chuckled.
"C'mon, Charles. Let's go to bed."
"Was sleeping already," he muttered a complaint, though a bed wouldn't give him cricks in the neck.
Erik more or less pushed-shoved-guided him out of his office and into the bedroom. Charles managed to change into his pajamas himself and he did enjoy the sight of Erik in shorts and a black shirt sliding under the covers with him. He also immensely enjoyed the arms around him, pulling him to the other Shifter, and the scent of the ocean.
Salt. Water. Wildness. Pure Erik.
Charles inhaled it, his muscles immediately relaxing. The caress over his neck helped, too.
x x x x x x x
Erik felt warm and relaxed as he watched his partner fall asleep in his arms. Having Charles was a wonder to him, a miracle in his life. The trust this man had shown him had gone above and beyond anything he had ever experienced. He didn't feel tired himself and finally left their shared bed and warmth to get himself something to drink. Outside the world was icy cold and still very wintry. The manor had fallen silent in the wee hours of the morning and Erik enjoyed the stillness. It was like the depth of the ocean, though his shark senses always picked up all kinds of small tidbits of sound or scent.
"Logan," he spoke into the darkness.
It got him a chuckle and the shadow coalesced into the muscular frame of the other mutant.
"Got your senses back, Shark?"
"What do you want?"
"Nothing. Patrolling. Checking on the nocturnals."
Nocturnals. The Cursed who were actively only at night and tried to sleep through the day. They had two of those - very different Curses – and they lived a rather isolated life. Logan sometimes kept them company.
Erik regarded the other man through narrowed eyes, then just walked past him. The perceived threat of the man had lessened in the past months and he had come to accept his presence more and more. While he was radiating strong alpha vibes – something he couldn't stop – Logan was no longer an opponent to the Shark. He was a reluctantly accepted ally in the protection of his home and his mate.
"Thanks for the help," Erik said as he walked past.
He felt the eyes of the other man on his back. "Any time you feel like getting beat up… all you have to do is ask."
He glanced over his shoulder, smirking. "I'll remember that."
The two men shared a knowing look that a lot more had been said in those few sentences. Erik had to reluctantly confess that the whole 'exercise' had helped. He had worn himself out enough. It hadn't been the ultimate solution, but it had been a way to curb the need. Logan knew that as well. He was an alpha Cursed, he had primal instincts, but he wasn't a Shifter.
"Take care of your rat," Logan now only said, then disappeared into the darkness.
Erik chuckled and checked the fridge contents, found nothing that appealed to him – the shark had fed and the human was happy enough – and finally returned to the bedroom.
Charles was still asleep, but he had spread himself out over both sides, which was an accomplishment for a man of his size and weight.
Erik was accustomed to pushing the other Shifter aside, so slipping back into bed was a matter of forcefully but gently removing Charles from his side of the mattress, then waiting for his lover to cuddle up to him again. Charles was a cuddle-fiend, no doubt about it. It was the same maneuvering this time and Erik enjoyed the soft pajama sliding over his naked skin, the scent of his lover, the solidity that was Charles.
He still had to thank Ororo, he mused. The weather witch had given him a window of opportunity and she had told him she would be there again should he need her.
It had floored him, plain and simple.
Ororo's control of her Curse had grown and she could do some very neat and cool things now, but to calm an ocean stirred up by the wind and the pull of the season had been quite an accomplishment. Even if it had been only for the time it took Erik to get deep enough to be safe from the harsh waves that could throw him onto the rocks; and even though it had been only a small portion of the wild waters.
She had done it for him, demanding nothing in return.
It had been a new experience for a Shark who wasn't used to people volunteering to help. Charles was one thing; everyone else…?
They feared him.
::Respect:: a sleepy murmur interrupted his thoughts.
He looked at the other man.
::They have a lot of respect. And they want you to feel okay, no matter how long you have to be on land::
That was really new to him. So far his interaction with the other Cursed was minimal, through school only, and in Westchester they gave him a wary look before actually approaching.
::Because your default setting is a scowl, Erik:: Charles teased. ::Smile more often::
He did smile and leaned down, kissing the dry lips. "They run scared of the teeth," he murmured when he moved back again.
"I said smile, not grin like a maniac."
"You take all the fun out of it."
Charles played with the black shirt, tugging at the soft material, sliding his palm over the warm material. He still looked sleepy, but not like he was about to drop off again.
"They like you," he said, voice calm. "You belong here. You're part of this. Of course they want to help. You helped them with their problems, too. Many of them."
Erik shrugged and settled down on the other Shifter's chest with his head. It was nice to feel Charles under him, hear his heartbeat, listen to his breath. Charles wrapped an arm around him, the other hand stroking over his head.
x x x x
He dozed off after a while, dreaming of the ocean and his adorable little rat in a diving suit.
x x x x x x x
Spring truly came two weeks later and Erik felt his spirits lift even more. Now that he could freely access the beach without the fear of getting crushed by the waves against the rocks, the unease and trapped feeling disappeared. Charles could be coaxed into dives, though he declined when conditions were too harsh, and the Shark felt calm and happy.
It was throughout that time that they also visited Muir Island for the first time after the destruction of the labs, and Erik was amazed how much had been rebuilt throughout those harsh months. Several Cursed had been there for Moira, and one had been able to keep small areas warm and cozy until construction was complete. It was an elemental Curse, though with limited range and a very draining effect on the mutant in question.
Charles entered the newly erected house that served as Moira's private home. Erik followed. Charles was in his diver's suit, Erik had brought along simple clothes in a water-proof package. Watching his lover in the skin-tight material with the accentuating yellow stripes was like dangling a tasty morsel in front of the predator.
Erik chased his thoughts about lust away and kept back as Charles greeted the scientist, exchanged pleasantries, remarked on how much had been done. Moira respectfully nodded at Erik, then answered Charles' questions.
The Shark wandered off, looking around the outside. Things were still in dire need of repair in some areas, but the new buildings were a lot stronger looking and he saw a lot of additional safety measures.
"There will never be another attack like that."
Erik turned and looked at the red-skinned Witchbreed; Azazel. As usual he was dressed completely in black.
"You can't be certain of it."
Azazel smiled grimly. "I can."
Erik tilted his head. The Witchbreed didn't elaborated, so he let it pass. He had good instincts and they told him that if anyone ever tried to hurt MacTaggart again, they would be dead. Whatever connected those two, and Erik didn't want to play the guessing game because he might be completely wrong, it was strong.
"Did you ever find one of them?" he asked instead.
"No. They know what's good for them. They hide." Another grin, this time terrible and cruel.
Erik chuckled. "We'll find them."
Because he was looking, too. In his own way, with his own methods, and with a patience of a predator who knows that starling the prey wouldn't help.
And if they found them one day, Erik knew he would kill the one or ones responsible for injuring Charles. He felt no mercy and he wouldn't feel regret. Charles knew it and he had accepted it in a way. Of course he argued that he had been an accidental victim, but the Shark disagreed. This hadn't been an accident. It had been intentional.
x x x x x x x
They actually spent the night. Charles and Moira had talked until the wee hours of the morning and Erik had given him that tolerant and amused smile when he had finally stumbled into the guest room that the Shark had already claimed. Azazel had shown it to him earlier with a shrug and a comment about scientist.
"We can still go home," the other Shifter offered.
"You're tired. So am I. We stay here," was all Erik said.
Charles, who had changed out of the neoprene into something he had been given by one of the Cursed, and which almost fit his slight frame, shrugged and undressed. Erik enjoyed the nakedness of his partner when they slid together under the blanket. It was rare enough that Charles decided not to wear pajamas.
x x x x x x x
The next morning, after breakfast, Moira accompanied the pair to the beach with the easiest water access. Charles hugged her, Erik just gave the woman an almost formal nod. Then he waded into the water and Shifted. Charles shouldered the water-proof pack with Erik's things, then slipped on the diving gear. He held on to the sturdy dorsal fin and let the large gray-black shark pull him into the ocean.
fin for this one!